Want to start shooting the NRL Hunter Series and need advice on shooting bags, backpack, and any other gear a dipshit would need before looking silly. Thanks in advance
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Need gear advice for NRL Hunter
- Thread starter tjassman84
- Start date
I've only shot one but I've been following the podcasts and AARs for the other events, as well. I'm new to all this so I pick the brains of squadmates and note what seems to be working and what doesn't. I'd say a decent tripod that you can shoot off of is the only must outside of the gun and rangefinder (although as was posted in an earlier thread, you could range oldschool with mil calculation). There were a LOT of Sig Kilo3000s. I'd say more of those than anything else for spotting and ranging duties. Pack as many beanbags as you feel like carrying. I think some sort of gamechanger and a rear bag would fill pretty much every bag role you'd run into (disclaimer: I'm no beanbag expert. a lot of people ran lots of shapes and sizes of bags but they basically did those two things. Some people had big ol tactical pillows. Too silly looking for me). Some folks run Kestrels but I live down in the South where we don't have all those western gale force winds to contend with so I'd say thats a big optional. Honestly, you could probably run with a doggone Jansport bag if you had to. At the match I went to, my truck was always close by so if I had to, I could run to it to grab something. I didn't but it was an option.
At the end of it, there were dudes with a lot of high speed stuff and dudes with really minimalistic setups. But the gear didn't separate the top from the bottom. Dudes (and ladies) that could quickly find, range, and engage from stable improvised positions were the ones that scored well at the match I went to.
At the end of it, there were dudes with a lot of high speed stuff and dudes with really minimalistic setups. But the gear didn't separate the top from the bottom. Dudes (and ladies) that could quickly find, range, and engage from stable improvised positions were the ones that scored well at the match I went to.
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Just shot Tennessee. I used my tripod on almost every stage. Brought my game changer schemedium and only used it once or twice. Binos are a must for finding your targets and you will need to find range to target. Like the above post I run sig kilo3000 so they do both and they worked fantastic! Other then that just what you feel like carrying in your pack. I’m sure different venues will require different usage but at this match my tripod was by far the most important piece off gear I had.
Here is small review of the gear I used in two of the NRL Hunter matches. I shot the opener in Nebraska and the one in Tennessee. Those two matches were very different but this kit load out proved adequate in both.
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I've been to a couple of these now, and I'm down to a schmedium with gitlite and my tripod. I have worked to get my open light setup under the 12lbs with my ckye pod, I use the hell outta that thing and love it. I splurged on leicas 3200.coms and so glad I did.
Good glass with a RF (Leica 3200.com for example) will make it so much easier to find and range. I have seen guys struggle finding targets. I think a tripod is pretty essential. Just about any good bag will work. I wouldn’t get too wrapped up on which bag to use.
Keep in mind due to the nature of these matches there is no gear sharing.
Good news is you don’t need much.
Keep in mind due to the nature of these matches there is no gear sharing.
Good news is you don’t need much.
Other than the rifle, id be lost without the tripod. I keep my binos attached to it, makes it way easier to grid out stages and so much easier to get a range on the targets. Definitely use it and the binos together more than any other peice of kit, on every stage. Less than 10% of the stages I ran, I actually shot from the tripod or used it to shoot from at all. Can't shoot whatcha can't find.
How do you like the schmedium with the gitlite fill? how does it compare to heavy fill?
I have been using a pint size with regular heavy fill, so pretty good comparison and the gitlite is definitely not as solid/stable, but not enough-so to ditch it. The offset of weight packing it around is definitely worth it imo, especially as a bag that I'd take hunting. I think the schmedium is the perfect size for my uses, which is mostly as a rear bag as I've come to like a slightly higher position in prone.
It's pretty much whatever you want to carry and deploy on your time. Only real gear restrictions are on the weight of your rifle and factory vs. custom.
Binos, LRF, Tripod, rear bag/ front bag, data card, ckye pod. For a bag, the schmedium is a sweet spot for me. You could get by with no tripod, but you would need to be more creative in your fort building, and there is not alot of time.
thanks for the info i was thinking about getting the getlite for a do all bag for PRS and hunting. How do you like shooting a sub 12 lb gun compared to a traditional comp gun?
I have a pile of bags lol, and I'd take my new gitlite schmedium over all of them with a tactical udder a close second. The lighter rifle is so effortless to move around to different positions. I've used it in a couple local prs style matches, and stage movement is so much easier. The engagement and firing requires much more attention to recoil management obviously, but I've found that a gen3 fat bastard 5 port brake or the peircision muscle brake to be awesome in aiding that issue. It's pretty awesome to go back to my 20ish pound 6brx and see how much the difference really is.
That's pretty sweet, i don't hunt all that much but the idea of a lighter rifle is pretty interesting to me. I currently have a 20 lb 6 Creed and I hate carrying that around. Maybe ill have to build something lighter and actually work on my fundamentals.
What barrel are you using to get below 12 lbs?
Also im ordering a gitlite schmedium ASAP thanks!
I had a benchmark carbon wrapped 24" spun up on a terminus zeus. The proof carbons are lighter but have gone to shit on their quality lately. I think guys are having good luck with lighter contoured (#4) straight steel tubes too, but my experience with those pencil barrels is that after 3-4 shots close together they go crazy. I have a terminus Apollo lite on the way, it will shave some oz's, it's a deep hole to go down I'll admit, but it sure is fun
I used this smedium w/ get lite at several team matches. It is now my favorite bag for anything other than PRS. Comparatively, you will have more wobble with the get lite filled bag vs the heavy fill, and barricades will be a little less stable vs heavy fill.
For the more practical applications of shooting, I think it’s excellent.
I went with the waxed canvas, I was worried about the durability but it has lasted very well. I carried it at the vortex sniper challenge and the army best sniper competition. Both I would say are hard on equipment.
